Videos of all of the presentations can be found at https://fredharvey.info/fredtv/
This includes mine (of course), "El Navajo and Gallup : The Tribal, Railroad, and Harvey Culture Crossroads" by Matt Kluge, "The Appropriate Challenge : From Fred Harvey's Indian Room to the Contemporary Clash" by Lucy Fowler Williams, "The Bully Saga of Teddy and Fred" by Justin Riner, "How the Railroad and the Fred Harvey Company forever Changed Navajo Weaving" by Laura Webster with demonstration of Navajo weaving by Brenda Spencer, and others.
As most of you know, I have spent the past 20 years presenting at conferences several times a year. I can honestly say that this was the most responsive audience I've ever spoken to and that the other presenters among the most engaged and engaging. The presenters and the members of the audience are there for the love of the topic, not to earn points toward tenure -- which is not to say that academics do not love their topics, but there's always that pressure to meet the critique of peer reviewers and to present yourself as the expert in your niche. I will say that the various Popular/American Culture conferences come close, but even there, the audience feels bound to ask probing questions that are intended as much to demonstrate their knowledge of the topic as to clarify some point or expand on the presentation. FredHeads just want to know more! And if they do have knowledge of the topic, they want to share it with everyone.
Now -- what has Prudence been up to lately? Well, my writing group has critiqued the entire manuscript of my second novel, French Toast a la Santa Fe. I'm putting it aside while I wait for Fried Chicken Castaneda to hit the shelves sometime in the Spring. The publisher is working on the cover as I type (!). I'm as eager as you are to see what the final design is!
And I've begun the third novel, "Cold Vicyssoise Cream." The spell checker tells me that's misspelled -- but that's how Fred Harvey spelled it! It's set in Albuquerque, while Prudence is hanging out until time to head to Santa Fe for the Couriers training. She literally stumbles across the dead body of a vaudeville acrobat. I am immersed in the world of vaudeville, which was breathing its last gasps in 1929, in creating a whole slew of suspects, and in dragging red herrings through the story. I've written the first 9,000 words, so only 61,000 left to go 😂 And I STILL don't know "who dunnit!" But I have my suspicions.
As I noted before, the 1929 Albuquerque city directory has provided me with a wealth of information that is adding authenticity -- the names of tourist courts, cafes, theaters, and their owners and managers. The names of the chief of police and the police court judge. The fact that there WAS such a thing as a "police court" and that it had its own judge. The location of the original city hall, which has apparently been torn down.
Ebay has proved, once again, a source of contemporary post cards of buildings and street scenes in full color, including the original city hall. And the Albuquerque Museum has digitized photographs and menus for some of those cafes. Unfortunately, the Mecca cafe was not among them, so I've moved them to the Liberty Cafe. Yes, the oldest menu I can find is from 1946, but it's close enough. This isn't a documentary!
https://albuquerque.emuseum.com/objects/121176/liberty-cafe-and-cocktail-lounge-menu
Obviously, they weren't serving cocktails -- at least, they weren't including them on the menu -- in 1929.
Did you know that sauerkraut juice was once a popular beverage served at diners and cafes and sold in grocery stores? And look at that caviar and onion sandwich! What really surprises me is all of the seafood on the menu. Was it frozen? Or, worse, canned? I can't imagine that it was fresh -- although, the AT&SF was getting fresh seafood from California through to the Harvey Houses along the line, so ... who knows?
Unexpectedly, the back page of the menu reveals more exotic options and get a load of that thunderbird emblem!
An afternoon with the microfilm of the Albuquerque Journal for January 1 1929 provided me with the names of movies being shown at the KiMo and the Sunshine and Pastime theaters, as well as the information that the KiMo really wasn't presenting vaudeville shows by 1929, but the Sunshine was. Also the addresses of these establishments as well as their admission fees. And an ad with menu for the Pekin Cafe -- not sure whether I will use that or not, but I have it if I want it. It was what you might call a "fusion" cafe -- American and Americanized Chinese. And an ad for the "just opened Coney Island Sandwich Shop." I wonder when it became the "Coney Island Cafe?" It bills itself as the " most up-to-date cafeteria and sandwich shop in New Mexico." And the proprietors were Greek.
Back to the city directory for the names of the owners and managers -- and some further information about the theaters and restaurants, which I shall not divulge here.
A browse through the Internet to learn that "Coney Island Sandwich" was, in fact, a hot dog with various condiments, such as onions and pickle relish. It varied with the location. And they were selling for 5 cents! I wonder what Prudence will have on hers?
Once I work out what the precise dates of the story are -- or even "close enough" -- I'll be back at the library getting more precise info on films and shows. And looking up the Pekin Cafe in the city directory.
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